Electric bus firm Kleanbus hails new ScotZEB grants
Kleanbus has praised new grants from Phase 2 of the Scottish Zero Emissions Bus Challenge Fund (ScotZEB), which give £50,000 in financial assistance towards the cost of repowering a diesel bus.
A key part of the total £58million fund, which is designed to accelerate the transition to zero emission buses and follows on from the £62million awarded in Phase 1, Kleanbus welcomes recognition by the Scottish Government of the vital role repowering – where the diesel engine of a bus is replaced with a fully electric drivetrain – can play in the green revolution.
Joe Tighe, Co-founder and CEO of Kleanbus, commented: “On behalf of all at Kleanbus, I am delighted the Scottish Government has recognised the role repowering has in the transition to a zero-emission bus and coach fleet. The £50,000 incentive towards the cost of an individual repower is a highly significant sum which makes the case for repowering even more compelling, and will result in a real and rapid difference to Scotland’s air quality.
“Repowering existing buses with the latest in electric powertrains is quick, cost-effective and the optimum use of resources. It is an ideal upcycling solution for diesel vehicles, avoiding unnecessary scrappage as operators move to electric fleets. Kleanbus also provides the complete solution to bus operators, with innovative financing and charging as part of the total package, making it easy to go zero emission.”
Kleanbus’ ‘ePowertrain Module’ combines proven components from leading Tier 1 suppliers with Kleanbus’ own integration technology and proprietary software. The innovative solution can convert a bus, whether single or double-decker, from ICE to fully electric quickly and cost-effectively. Once the e-drivetrain solution has been designed and tested, it takes less than two weeks to repower an individual bus, getting vehicles back in service in as little time as possible. Operating costs are also dramatically lower, at a third of those of a conventional diesel bus.
ScotZEB Phase 2 repower funding is now available for leading technology companies such as Kleanbus, as well as local authorities and public service bus operators. Kleanbus is already in advanced talks with multiple Scottish bus and coach companies and will announce more news very soon.
